If the shoe fits, wear it
by NorthernSunshine
Summary: A Cinderella story, retold through the eyes of our favourite Spaniard and Italian. Lovino doesn't have a fairy godmother nor the kindness nor the luck. just a string of coincidences to a happily ever after? A proper feel good story with some angst. Spamano, fairytale AU, Cinderella retold my way, not the Disney way. Rated for mild swearing
1. Chapter 1

Guess who is back! I am so sorry to all of my readers for this long hiatus, but I have been so caught up in real life I haven't been able to sit down and write for months... months, I cannot believe it. I am so sorry for this and hope you can forgive me, stay tuned to the end of this chapter to find out a few more news for an upcoming project that I think you will all love.

As for now, enjoy my little fairy tale, a spin on the classic Cinderella story, my version of how to turn this story up by several notches.

Rating: T

Pairing: Spain/S. Italy (I've wanted to do one for so long)

Inspiration and influence: Hetalia Fairy Tales by Kitty-Kat Allie, who's adaptation of Snow White is pure enjoyment

Characters: Spain, S Italy, N Italy, Rome, Germany, France, mentioned Prussia and cameo England.

Location: let us just call this a fictional Europe, because I do not intend to stage an age or specific location for this story, but you can probably guess most of it.

Chapters: 4

Disclaimer: Hetalia is owned by its various producers and ownerships. Cinderella is a global fairy tale with dozens of versions, this is an interpretation of some of them.

 **If the shoe fits, wear it**

 **Chapter 1**

"Hear ye, hear ye! By Order of his Royal Majesty, King Carlos of Spagna, in one full moon's time, all eligible bachelors and bachelorettes are invited for a three night festivity at the Royal palace to celebrate Crown Prince Antonio's 21th birthday and coming of age."

Excited whispers and murmurs filled the usually dull market square as the colourfully dressed Voice of the Palace, a small and thin man with a voice of a shrill tenor, shrieked out the proclamation that would open the palace gates for the first time in over 75 years. A crowd quickly gathered around the poor man, who was just doing his job. Young girls dressed in ridiculous huge hats, with an attitude to match, gathered like vultures to squeal and ask their questions about the Prince and his taste. What gifts should they should bring? What hairstyle did the Prince prefer? Did he like cream or ivory colour? It had been the talk of town for several years that the Prince had yet to marry, and with an upcoming ball it was clear. The King wanted a ball and most likely among those invited, someone whom the Prince would marry.

King Carlos was a righteous man of tradition, so it surprised them to hear the news of the gates opening. If the king sought for wives among the people he had to be desperate. Some townspeople even speculated he might be close to passing the crown. Then, who could be the next queen? They had all seen the carriages come and go for years, all with an hopeful princess to arrive at the gates, only to be sent home in tears. Since the windows were tinted no one knew what a princess looked like. They had to be ugly, or why else would the Prince quickly send them away?

Within minutes all scrambled away to hurry with preparations. Mothers fought with their bare nails to secure for their daughters, nannies came to console the girls when their closest friends turned to become their worst enemies. Anxious fathers paid overprice in order to help their little princesses make their wishes come true. In a matter of hours the shops emptied of silk clothing, jewellery, fabrics and even more ridiculous hats. When the poor Voice of the Palace finally fought his way away from the market, clothes torn from screaming girls who wanted to keep him there for more information, there wasn't even a thread to be found or a lace to be spared. It was clear to say that all the girls dreamed of becoming a queen one day.

Lovino was very happy to not be among them.

In fact, he had other things to worry about as he hurried past the market, into the tailor's streets ready to fight for every last piece of fabric possible.

Lovino was born to a seamstress mother and a drunkard for a father, who later drove the family's wagon over a cliff in the mountains. He was a lean young man at the age of 19 with a soft face, golden eyes and dark brown hair. The only imperfection to his young face was literally to stray curl that somehow refused to do what he wanted, and seemingly floated at the side of his head. You'd think a man like this would have a swoon of ladies waiting to be courted by him.

No, it was thanks to his drunkard of a father that he was often seen as lesser worth. Since the death of his parents, he had been the talk of town; he was seen as bad luck and bad influence by almost all. It left such a sour taste in his mouth that he often would act in the way everyone believed he should act like, bitter, angry and mean His brother, Feliciano, was the only person who seemingly held any type of affection to him and unlike himself, had earned some respect by the townspeople. He was simply that, nice and loving, all those things Lovino had forgotten how to be.

Lovino was on a mission. Wouldn't it had been great if Feli could meet the prince? His brother deserved a better end then was sure to follow them.

Truth to be told, their lives held much to improve upon. After their parent's sudden passing, the only relative they had left was their ageing grandfather, who owned the once popular Trattoria. People came from far and wide to taste the Italian cuisine that his family had made for generations. Sadly, after his grandmother's passing shortly after her son, his father, died, it had been severely neglected and now few people ever came to dine. It was still a busy place, since Lovino was forced to do all the tasks. His grandfather would be found in the back with a jug of wine, snoring.

Thank goodness for Feli. He was and would always be the small sanity he had left in all that mess of life he had. Feli was two years young than himself, 17, but already a blooming artist, a landscape and portrait painter. Lovino worked the trattoria because he wanted his brother to succeed. He knew there would only be a window of time before the senile old fools at the inn tired of his brother and moved to young people, so he had to get Feli acquainted with the Nobles of the palace. Only then would he know his brother would be taken care of for life and earn enough to live by.

Of course, he wanted to leave this hellish life himself, but he had no particular talents. He could cook, but only because their grandmother had written down the instructions he needed. He knew how to sow, but he was slow and the other seamstresses laughed at his pace. He guess he knew how to dance a little, but who made an honest living from dancing in these days?

No, it was better to seure Feli's life for now. Lovino almost ran into the butcher's boy in his hurry for good fabrics, which would be sponsored by months of savings. He had to do this, he had to get his brother out. He would make Feli the prettiest outfit that he could muster, no matter how many nights he would have to spend on it. He just hoped it would be enough.

His straw hat nearly blew into the wind and he had to jump to catch it. He could do this!

000

In another end of town, away from the dusty roads and gossiping girls, another battle was fought. Here sandstone had been polished to the point it resembled marble and on this stone Prince Antonio had been riled into a fierce one verses one swords-fight by none other than what he would normally consider his best friend, Francis Bonnefoy of Villafranca, a former duke who now lived in exile from bad behaviour at court in his former nation. He was a loyal friend and a good adviser, but his quick mouth had somehow made him end up in a similar conundrum that once had him thrown out.

You may wonder what had gotten him in such trouble this time? Well, maybe it was mentioning the upcoming ball that would take place only days away. To say the least, Prince Antonio was not amused by his father's declaration.

"You take that back!" the lively Spagnard had shouted at him, with yet another whip of his rapier. To his immense agrigation, his friend did not even so much as flinch.

"Surely, my dearest friend, you must understand that is it quite amusing." Francis said with a ghost of a grin on his lips.

The duel had been raging for nearly half an hour and it had started quite innocently. The two of them had been discussing measures of how to get Antonio's father to agree to change parts of the west wing to accommodate for the large amount of art. Art that Francis quite often loved to purchase for the palace. But then the talk naturally moved on to the upcoming ball. Like many, Francis too had been concerned for his friend's lack of interest in the many, many princesses that had arrived from far and wide and none seemed even interesting enough for the young prince as to even get out of bed from time to time. Which finally led Antonio's father to write the invitation. If anything Francis was certain it was to shake his one and only son from his lack of enthusiasm. It was not a popular idea.

It's not like Antonio hated women, but he found pretty much all of the princesses to be equally as dull and boring as they could possibly be. Except for one maybe, the blond with pigtails who was quite interesting, but very scary.

It was the mention of that said blond princess would probably have been a better option than the whole costly ordeal of a ball, that finally had sent Antonio riling after his rapier.

"In all fairness" Francis continued and dodged Antonio's next attack much like a bullfighter, "when we first met I would never have picked you for the choosing type. And now, the whole town is ablaze of anxious possibilities. Tell me, my dear friend, how many more hearts will you crush?"

"Enough to get him to see reason." Antonio countered.

"Alas, the crying of women shall be heard all over the world."

"It is not my fault, he's been pushing me to marry since I was 13. day after day of staring at portraits of one girl to the other, this whole thing, it sickens me."

"Is that why your father included the unmarried boys? Is this the reason why the females aren't of interest."

Antonio nearly stumbled, but managed to a staggering halt instead.

"No... no, no, no NO! It has nothing to do with that."

"But it does, doesn't it. I saw you with that stable boy last year."

Antonio, beet red, finally managed to disarm his friend, but not out of anger or tactics, more or less as a reaction to what Francis confessed to.

"He, he was just a thing; a short summer fling. And yes, I don't mind _that_ , but in truth..."

" _Yes?_ "

"I'm tired Francis. I just wish he would let me decide for myself rather than send them all to my face. I'm not good with that, never been." he said with a sigh, fatigue having taken over from the irritation he felt earlier.

Francis laughed, his friend's inexperience with deep romance was in the least adorable to say the least.

"Do not fear, my friend, whether it will be a him or a he, whether it will be this time or in years, I am sure that person is waiting for you somewhere."

Antonio sighed and handed back Francis' rapier. The two of them left now that the steam had settled only for servants to take care of the remnants of ripped curtains and shattered ceramics.

* * *

 **Trivia:**

Spagna: is the Italian name for Spain, and yes, Spagna is fictional, though they did have a King named Carlos, Juan Carlos I of Spain, reign: 1975-2014.

Villafranca: I chose this name partially because it resembles France and partially because there were multiple locations named Villafranca, so France could have been from any of these.

000

So yes, I am back and Listen to your heart will be updated... that is whenever I can find my second notebook to remind myself how the story ends (no, the story has not been abandoned, it is still my baby).

But on another note, I am on the verge of creating something big here. Since I have my background in media, which includes a range of communicative forms, I present to you my newest baby.

 **FicReviews**

A fanfiction based magazine for free download.

First Beta edition publishing on 11th of April

Yes, I have wanted to do something for some time. Still working out some of the details, but I am so proud to give you all a fanfiction based magazine for you all to enjoy. FicReviews is a free download magazine for writers and readers of all ages. It is currently in Beta, as I have yet to work out all the content and I really, really want you all to help me create it together.

You can already find some of the links to FicReviews on my profile, more links will come for the upcoming Fanfiction forum thread and download page..


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much guys for your responses. I understood there were some misunderstandings around my intentions with my upcoming magazine.

My intentions will not be to publish stories through a magazine (I'd be in deep trouble if that were to happen considering how many angry author's that would chase me). Instead, I wish to create a topic based forum for new and old writers on general advise, tips and even guidelines to the thing we all love, Fanfiction. I won't publish your stories, but you can come to me and advertise your stories (much like you do here on by writing summaries) for FicReviews, so that others may notice you.

The first issue is getting closer and closer to publishing and soon countdown will start in Instagram with a few hints to what is to come. I hope to create a fun way to discover and learn new things, so I hope you will join me.

Best regards

Nina aka NorthernSunshine

Now on to the story again.

Minor swearing in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2

"Ouch!"

Lovino glared at the small puncture wound on his thumb that slowly filled with a tiny drop of blood.. It had been a week and a half and the ball was just around the corner.. He wished he could lay down the needle and throw the almost finished clothes to the side, but a small voice in his head reminded him that he would only need a few more stitches, then he could burn the needles and never have to prick his fingers again. What once had felt like a brilliant idea had slowly morphed into what felt like the most stupid thing ever, but it was worth trying, for Feli's sake. He had to tell himself that.

It was late and his eyes hurt. His only source of light was a candlestick on the floor and that gave barely enough light to see that he even held something in his hand, but his days were so filled with cooking, scrubbing, cleaning and serving that the only window he had to work on Feli's clothes were at night. He and Feli shared the attic above the trattoria, which was a draughty sleeping space with plenty of holes for rain to drip through and wind to tear even more holes in their already miserable existence. The candle Lovino had lit was the only candle he would be able to afford for three months, but he'd make it worth it. Once Feli found his luck, there would be more money for himself and maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to afford something descent. He loved his brother dearly, but it wasn't cheap to spend a small wage on two.

Luckily, his brother had been oblivious to his plan. He knew Feli had no ambitions to leave him behind when they both knew they might never see the other if they'd split, but it had to be done.

His brother deserved it.

Lovino yawned and looked over at the shadowy figure and wished he had been able to get them proper beds instead of the piles of hay they had scrambled to gather. Their grandfather got the only real bedroom and to be honest, Lovino would never trade for his bed, even if it meant he got to sleep in a proper bed and the only bed). The room smelled of alcohol from old empty bottles. Hay and linen, it worked well for him. No, one day he would try to make it on his own.

Feli turned in his sleep. The light snoring indicated that it would be hours before he'd wake up. If Feli left, he figured he might move to the countryside, set up a living there and start over. He'd bring their grandfather, the man could use a change of scenery. Just anything to leave this life behind.

Four more stitches, some buttons added and finally it is finished. It took a few days and a lot of stubbornness but Lovi is done. He folds the dress shirt and hides it in an old up-turned tomato crate that acts like a table. Then he blows out his candle and gets to bed.

He cannot wait until morning, to show Feli his present.

000

His brother is quite predictable. When morning arrives and they have finished their small portion of tomatoes and bread dipped in olive oil, Lovi gives Feli his new clothes. Feli's eyes shine with admiration and awe. He has never worn anything remotely as nice as the fresh linen shirt, the soft vest, trousers or the embroidered belt that Levi has spent hours to make.

"This is amazing. It will be so much fun to go to the ball together."

Lovi sighs, the fatigue of constant all-nighters catch up to him and he just wishes that the week can be over and done with.

"I guess, have fun Feli." he says with a yawn.

"Wait, you mean you are not going? Then I won't go either." his brother stares in horror. Lovino sighs.

"Yes you will!" Lovi stands up and makes sure to emphasize on what he wants to say by putting his hands on Feli's. "Feli, you're amazing and talented beyond your years. You have so much potential and I want you to find something better than this. You will go to the ball, you don't even need to see the Prince, you just need to find someone who will see you for who you are. Bring some of your sketches, mingle with the upper class. Get them interested in what you do. Get out of this miserable life."

"But..." and Lovi could tell his brother was close to tears. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I've got this job, I make enough to live. Without you I might even be able to save and move somewhere nicer. Don't worry about grandpa, yes, he is an ass, but he is still family. I'll support him as well. I am already supporting all three of us."

He leaned forward and kissed his brother on the forehead.

"I want you to be happy. It will make me happy to see you happy." Tears trickled down, but he ignored those. He only took note when he felt more tears, now also from Feli, fall on top of his hands. The clothes were put to the side so that the brothers could hug.

He hated to say goodbye, but he needed to be strict. He needed to throw his brother out there. He knew Feli was strong, no matter how weak he may seem on the outside, when his brother needed it, he would go far. His talents spoke for themselves.

Feli stopped sniffling. An idea had struck his mind.

"Maybe, maybe we can buy more. Make you an outfit. Brother, I don't want to go alone."

But that had Lovi to shake his head. "There's not a thread to be found in all of town. Besides, it took me a forever to make this. There isn't enough time, material or money to do so. No, Feli, you go. If you really need to, smuggle me something back, maybe a piece of crostata if they have some."

Finally, his brother smiled back at him.

"I... I'll try."

"Good."

000

They had closed the restaurant this day. It wasn't necessary to keep it open, when the whole town were too busy to prepare for the ball rather than sit down and eat. Most girls had been on a strict diet for days to make themselves seem slimmer than they were. The prices for corsets had sky-rocketed over the last three days. With less to do than normal Lovi decided to help Feli prepare for the evening. He carried water from the well for a proper bath, picked lavender that would scent the water and helped to rinse his brother's hair a mixture of soap, egg and herbs.

To his horror he realised, once Feli was clean and dressed in his new clothes, that the shoes they wore were all tattered and worn. But after a lot of rummaging in every corner of the house he found a pair of soft leather shoes that their father had once owned, but apparently never worn. It was their best option and as the outfit was finished, it fit perfectly. The trousers were a beautiful navy blue and matched the vest that had a shade darker colour. The shirt was white, and clean, something they both joked about since their clothes were usually caked in dust. By the end he may not have been the most extravagant dressed, but he looked presentable. Lovi would have loved to make him something extravagant, but there was no way to afford that.

As the evening got closer Lovi put on his hat and walked with Feli to the castle gates and to wave him off.

Only when Feli had disappeared behind the gates, safe from earshot, did Lovi finally cry and he ran straight back to the house. The lack of sleep and sudden loneliness was too much to handle. His brother was leaving, it was what he wanted, but was he really prepared for it?

000

When their parents died only their mother's remains had been found, their father had washed away by the stream. Lovi, at the tender age of 10, had to bury their mother at the back of the restaurant. The nearby church had a weird priest that had condemned her for being besotted by the devil, not that anything like this made sense. He had planted a twig of elm at the foot of the grave and to his delight and astonishment a large tree had grown. After eight years it was a considerate size and whenever Lovi felt like he needed someone to talk to (other than Feli or their drunkard for a grandfather) he would sit by the tree and whisper his problems. He had always been close to their mother, she had always been there when he felt sad or needed a hug. When she died he missed her more than their father.

This evening was an evening like this. He curled under the tree and cried. He had tried to be brave, tried to do what he knew would be best for his brother, but not the loneliness and fear settled in like a wave over the beach. He had made an act, tried to act stronger than he truly felt. He had wished for his brother's happiness so much that he had forgotten to even think of the next step. What now?

He sat there for at least a few hours. His tears dried, he felt dizzy, but he couldn't find the strength within him to move.

As he sat in his own misery he heard something above him and he chose to ignore it. But after a while the noise kept getting louder and louder. A shaky rustle could be heard from above the branches and he looked up to see a white bird above his head. It stared at him and sadness forgotten, Lovi stared back.

Then without warning, the bird dove down on him and pecked him hard on the head. Lovino shrieked as the bird tugged on the curl on his head before flying off. Only then did Lovino notice that it had stolen his hat.

Quickly, he bolted after the thieving bird. He didn't even notice where he was going, he wanted his hat back. It was a present from his mother and the most precious piece of clothing that he owned.

The chase went on for minutes, up and down streets, across cobblestone and mud. Through bushes and tall grass and through a hole in a huge hedge. Finally, his hat was dropped on the middle of a paved walkway.

It wasn't until Lovino had his hat back on his head that he realised that the bird had led him all the way back to the castle and into the castle's garden.

And here he stood, dressed in his rags among hundreds of well dressed ladies and a bunch of gentlemen. It was embarrassing. Lovino hid behind the closest bush he could find. He felt panic rise and he desperately wanted to leave, but some of the guests had entered the walkway and there was no way he could leave without being seen. Instead he listened to their conversations.

"I do see your point Francis, a portrait would probably go well with my latest conquests. If not for my idiot subjugates to understand that I am not someone to cross."

"Exactly, see, I knew you'd come to your senses. Ludwig, allow me to present you you, Mister Vargas."

Lovino's heart pumped. Vargas was his and Feli's last name. It made him brave enough to peek.

Indeed, there he was. His brother did look a bit out of place between an commander of some sort, based on the medals and stars on the uniform, and a frilly dressed noble.

"Mister Vargas tells me he is a portrait painter and based on what I have seen him do, a respectable one at that. Not to mention, he will easily fill your father's quota of not spending too much on lustrous luxuries. Feli is young and new in business, but he has shown me enough to convince me of his skills."

"Oh, and why is that?" Ludwig asked.

"I admit, I have only known him shortly. But there is an innocent, how do you say it, sincerity about him. And he knows painting by heart. We've spent the last hour talking all about them."

Ludwig nodded. "I suppose, it would be beneficial not to squander money for this cause. Still, why don't you join me for a walk, Mr Vargas. I'd like to experience your skills first-hand. There is a gazebo on the other side of this road where the royal painter paints. I am sure we can find some of his supplies there. I want to see for myself how you'd portray me."

They left. Lovino wanted to follow, but at that very moment a group of giggling girls walked by and he refused to show himself. Instead he waited and didn't notice as a total stranger sneaked up to him.

He nearly jumped when a young man put his hand on his shoulder, but was never able to give a sound as he felt the man put his hand over Lovino's mouth.

"Ssssh..."

Lovino stayed quiet and watched as the man, an obvious noble, peeked over the bush. After a while the giggles subsided.. Lovino stared at this fortunate creature. He had olive skin, much like his own, but that is where the similarities ended. He wore a long red, velvet jacket with gold buttons, black trousers and a fine silk shirt. On his hand was a gold ring with some sort of insignia, probably related to his house. He looked further up and near gasped.

The man had brown locks that framed his face perfectly and stunning green eyes. Lovino had never in his life seen someone that beautiful and was now afraid of saying anything, to make himself look stupid.

Lovino heard a "Phew, that was close" and watched the man stand up to his full height. He was a little taller than Lovino was.

"Thank you for not telling on me. Those girls, they're scary." the man said and stretched out a hand to help Lovino up. Lovino took it and the mad dragged him from his feet. Never before had Lovino felt so embarrassed by his looks as he did now. He looked like a pig among swans. He wanted to make a run for it, but the strange man held him with his eyes.

"I didn't see you at the ball, I thought father invited everyone."

Father... oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... This was the Prince. This was Prince Antonio.

"Why didn't you join?"

Lovino looked down at his dirty clogs. "I... my family cannot afford it."

Prince Antonio looked honestly surprised. "Really, I thought this ball would come for free for the public. That is, what I was told."

"It was... but clothes cost money, jewellery cost even more. My family, we manage, but we cannot supply all that for the two of us."

"Two, you have a sister?"

"No, a brother. He is here, I sent him here myself. He is quite talented, an artist, but he needs to be seen. I figured someone would notice him here."

"I see, I had no idea it would cause such problems for everyone. Thank you, eh..."

"Lo- Lovino."

"Lovino... Thank you, Lovino. I wish I could repay you somehow, maybe... yes, wait here."

Prince Antonio left and Lovino was left to stare dumbfounded on the place he had been standing in. But he didn't have to wait for long. After a while Antonio returned with a silk napkin in his hand and in that napkin was a ripe, fresh, red tomato.

"As a small thank you for not telling the girls where I was. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lovino."

Lovino nodded. Prince Antonio waved as he walked back towards the castle and for the rest of the ball. Lovino stayed a bit longer, watched as the ball continued with music, dance and in the centre of this was Antonio. Dancing with them.

For a moment, Lovino wished he had been the one who went to the ball, if not just to get the chance to dance with the prince. No, stupid Lovino, he was a stranger to all these people. He didn't belong here.

With sad steps he walked back to the house, clutching a silk handkerchief and nibbling on the most delicious tomato he had ever eaten. At night he dreamt of music, dance and the touch of Antonio's hand as he spun him around on the ballroom floor.

 _TBC_

* * *

I know, Lovi may seem a bit out of character here, but there are good reasons:

To explain the events of this chapter, because I didn't know where to go more in depth, Lovi is at a breaking point in this story. Here is the first chance in ages to get his brother out from poverty and a bad future. OK, in all fairness, he is not that poor after all they own the trattoria. But it is still not enough to his brother, whom Lovi knows will go far as soon as he gets that chance. This is the moment to grab it.

And of course he loves his brother. Being a sister myself I cannot imagine what it would be like not to love your sibling.

000

 **Trivia** : Feli's bath is inspired by older traditions of bathing in flower petals and milk. The recipe for Feli's shampoo is a mix of recipes I saw, but the basics seemed to be egg and soap. Soap would likely have been quite expensive, so I gave him most of their meagre rations.

Feli's clothes are inspired by traditional folk costumes from Northern Italy (from what I could tell by pictures). Naturally, there are variations, but I wanted him to wear something simple.

 **Review responses** (anonymous reviewers)

 **Guest (1)** : Thank you for your concern. Yes, I am very careful when it comes to copyright materials and copyright infringements. All material I have is handwritten and as for pictures and photos they will be selected from royalty free stocks and possible fanart donations. As for fanfictions themselves, I will not post stories but writing tips, genre discussions and other writers will be able to advertise (but not write) stories for the magazine. I hope this helps to clarify my intentions.

 **Guest (2):** Oops... I changed Lovi's age mid writing... guess I forgot a section. Thank you for notifying me.

Also, thank you for your concerns. Do not worry, I have no intentions of getting sued and FicReviews, despite the name, will post articles on writing, genres, discussions about different sub categories and other things that are commonly associated with fanfiction. I have no intention, and I probably should have made this clear, to steal others work and post it. When I set out to start this project, now nearly two months ago, it was due to my experiences discussing writing on forums and chats, not to publish other people's work. And I have full respect for those who don't want me to.

I am very careful to take everyone's opinion into consideration, so it will be an open magazine where others can give their input. Also, I will create pages were you can advertise (but not publish) your story and look for Beta readers/advertise yourself as Beta. I am currently extra careful in regards to copyright infringements, hence my pictures are taken from royalty free sites and should I ever need category specific pictures not found in these, I hope to eventually get donations through fanart. I will also eventually discuss copyright, because this is something I studied as a Media and Communication student and why it is important for even us fanfiction writers to follow those.

I hope this can settle your paranoia. I have no wishes to battle bigger companies, and should someone want to publish something about companies or anything else (as I plan to accept articles written by readers), I'll probably refrain from posting those since the subject is difficult. FicReviews is more similar to a newspaper/press material than an outlet for stories and will also follow similar guidelines as .


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the late upload, I was busy this weekend.

 **Chapter 3**

Prince Antonio was not a morning person, at all. Especially after he had been forced to dance and entertain his guests until four in the morning just to satisfy his father. He had danced with hundreds of the invited bachelors and bachelorettes, all with silly hats and perfumes that made his head ache more than the alcohol he had consumed to try to forget some of the awfulness. To him they were all the same, gold diggers, brats who thought they were too good or just the unwilling dragged there because a parents wanted them to become royalty. He could tell, they wanted him for the throne, or for the money, or simply just to brag: ha, I nabbed the prince. He felt like a mouse among starved cats and he hated it.

His father had asked him if he had found one person, anyone, who caught his interest and he had responded yes. He had to be honest, there had been one person who he could say was different from the large amount of giggling peacocks and strutting flamingos that he was certain were more bird than human. Hiding from a flock of girls he had stumbled upon a boy, a peasant with no doubt judging by how he was dressed, who had been looking longingly at the peacocks not out of jealousy or disgust, but admiration as if all was well about the world. You'd think he'd be as shallow as the people he admired, but no, he didn't seem to care to be in their shoes. He had seemed shocked but not afraid to stand side by side to the prince. And, he spoke with Antonio as Antonio. Not once had he started to fawn over him, not one had he asked for the prince to join him. He didn't even address him as "Your Majesty" or "My Prince". It was such a breath of fresh air that he had no choice but to give the boy something back.

Antonio could still remember the touch of those soft lips to the palm of his hand. He stared at it as if those lips had left a permanent mark. He knew he couldn't feel love, love at first sight was reserved for fairy tales, but he knew he'd like to see him again, to see if he'd be the same and if so Antonio hoped they could be friends.

He didn't have many of those, in all honesty. Yes, Francis was probably what he would call a friend, even a best friend in the ways he would try to look after him, but Francis was still Francis, completely unpredicable.

And maybe there was that strange red eyed albino that sometimes crashed the castle, but he was bak in his own kingdom, dragged back by his father and brother.

Maybe, once all these festivities subsided he'd try to find the peasant boy again, invite him to the castle, make sure he'd be taken care of well. He wasn't sure yet what he would do, but one thing was for sure. Somehow, he wanted to meet him again.

 _Lovino_...

000

Lovino was shaken awake by his brother. He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he remembered crying a lot before it. In his hand he still clutched the napkin Prince Antonio had given him.

"Brother, brother... Lovino, wake up!"

"Wh... what? What time is it?"

"Almost noon, brother are you awake yet?"

Lovino yawned. Noon, oh, great... NOON?

He sat up abruptly and stared out through an area where the roof had let go from the rest of the house. Indeed, the sun was far up. He had missed the lunch rush, dammit.

"It's okay brother, grandpa is cooking today."

Lovino rubbed his eyes and tried to shake some of that annoying drowsiness from his already muddled brain. Great, his grandfather covered for him... Hang on a second...

"Wait what, what did you say?"

"Yeah, you heard me right. Grandpa filled in for you. He woke early, when I arrived back from the castle, asked how the ball had been. It was great, oh, I've got so much to tell you."

And he started. Some of it Lovino knew, but he'd never admit that he had been at the castle to overhear it. But he did find out what had happened after Feli and the Commander, who was Commander Ludwig of Westfalen, had left. Apparently Ludwig had taken them to the gazebo, where he had asked Feli to do a sketch of him. It had gone well, very well. Ludwig was pleased with the sketch and asked Feliciano to return on the next ball, but they would have a private sitting in another area of the castle so that Feliciano could do more work. Lovi was extatic, it had gone better than he had hoped. Commander Ludwig had asked Feliciano if he would reconsider to come to him to Westfalen and continue work from there. The Commander was not really a commander as much as Second Prince Ludwig of Westfalen, though he acted as Commander since his brother wasn't much of one, too hasty in his decisions.

"Oh, and I brought you these..."

Feliciano handed him a small paper bag, which turned out to be full of tomatoes. Lovi, whose favourite happened to be tomatoes, beamed.

"They grow in the gardens, the prince planted them himself and he cares for them. But Francis, you remember, the guy I spoke paintings with at first, he is a good friend and brought me some as a parting gift. He said he liked me and he wanted me to eat well. Usually, none but the prince is allowed near them.

The familiar taste of the juicy tomatoes brought Lovino back to the hour he had indeed spent with the prince, but Feliciano didn't need to know about his mishaps. Which made him remember that the napkin was still in his hand, he quickly hid it. Feliciano had thankfully not noticed.

To help further distract his brother, a booming clanking came from below.

"I better get downstairs, grandpa might need help down there." he said and hurried down, where indeed their ageing grandfather had somehow managed to land himself underneath several pots and pans. Lovino continued the shores from there on, frightened what the man might do next if he did not.

000

Slowly, the evening crept up upon them and Lovino once more helped Feliciano into his clothes and rinsed his hair. There would not be any soap left after this, but Feli swore he would buy more once he sold a painting. It would be worth it.

This time Lovi didn't follow Feliciano to the gates, his brother went on his own. Once they said their goodbyes and Lovino was sure that their grandfather was asleep, he walked out to their mother's grave again and sat by her grave, hoping that the day would end swiftly. He knew better than to go back to the castle, but all day all he could think about was none other than the prince and the juicy tomatoes he had. He wanted to go, but he was scared at the same time. He didn't want to embarrass himself like that ever again.

When he was young his mother, at his age, had told him that she had gone to a fortune-teller who came to the village. This old woman had read her palm and said that she would carry two boys one day, one who would venture far, the other would marry a prince.

As a young child he had believed in those stories and often played royalty and would imagine what it would be like if that would ever happen. But now he knew those stories could never be true.

"Tweet, tweet..."

Without warning, something hard fell on top of his head. It dropped down on top of his lap and he looked down to see one lone golden shoe there. Confused, excited but also slightly panicky he looked up to a familiar flutter of white feathers.

That bird, the bird from the other day was there and in his beak was a bundle. A bundle, as Lovino realised, of the finest clothes in the finest materials. The bird tweeted again and the bundle fell onto Lovino's lap.

Lovino could all but gasp as the bird fluttered away, same way as last time. He unravelled the heap of fabrics to discover a white silk shirt, a green jacket with gold and silver embroideries in the shape of leaves. There were black pants, also embroidered in black to give a pattern of waves along his legs, a brown vest with stones sewn into the fabric and finally a pair of white gloves .

Clothes fit for a king.

Lovino was sure the bird must have stolen them from somewhere, but at the moment he couldn't care less. With clothes like these he'd be able to go to the palace. No one would recognise him, not with clothes like these and perhaps... perhaps he could see Antonio again.

It was better than to remain out here. It was getting colder. Lovino quickly went back inside, washed of and then prepared to go straight to the ball, for a second time.

000

It was even worse the second night. Rumours had spread across town that the Prince had found his fancy, so now every single girl and many of the boys had swarmed him and didn't seem to want to let go. It didn't help either that Francis was nowhere to be seen, having excused himself at the early hours of the second ball.

Antonio wanted to hate him, but he could not. His friend had no obligation to stay behind, but it would have been nice.

He wondered if he might be able to sneak away once again, but his father kept his eyes on him all night. Sighing, he leaned back in the chair that somehow seemed to have become his throne.

The night would probably have been awful.

But something would change that.

The doors opened and Antonio would probably not have paid it the slightest interest hadn't it been for the shimmer that came from the spotless jacket. What he noticed, only milliseconds later, was the most gorgeous boy he had ever laid eyes on.

He stood up, quickly forgetting the pack of hungry eyes that followed him as he strode towards the boy, who looked as lost as Antonio felt.

Seriously, how could he have missed such perfection on the night before?

000

Lovino froze. When he entered the palace he had been determined to find prince Antonio, just to have the chance to perhaps talk to him again. He was not prepared to have the prince walk up to him, as if stalking a prey. It was almost nerve-wracking how quickly everything unfolded.

"My apologies." the prince said. "I should have been more attentive to my guests. I cannot recall seeing you last night and I apologise for that."

Lovino blinked.

"There is no need to apologise. This is my first evening here."

Antonio blinked. Could it be... no, that was impossible. That boy he met the other day could never afford such clothing. Antonio smiled, curious now of this stranger.

"Then please" Antonio begged "allow me to escort you through the night."

"O-of course."

"What's your name?"

"L... My name is Romano."

Antonio held up his arm, and Lovino took it. He was led first through a tour of the palace, or rather its west wing where they talked about everything that came to mind, mostly about Antonio who could recall stories from everything from history, childhood to the renovations he planned for. Lovino listened, simply enjoying the moment.

After the tou they returned to the main ball, where Antonio led him to the dance floor. A mass of angry glares met him, but Lovino took no notice. Let them stare and glare all they wanted, he was perfectly happy to gaze into Antonio's eyes.

Finally, after the dance and some refreshments from a long table of delicious food they took a walk through the garden. It was getting late, but Lovino hoped that this moment would never stop.

But sadly, it had to, and it wasn't Antonio's fault.

It was during the walk that rationality caught up with Lovino. He was making a facade. He was letting on Antonio, who obviously had fallen for his looks and the wealth it carried, but it wasn't him. It wasn't who Lovino was and he felt sick thinking about it. Slowly, he felt himself withdraw to the point where he had to excuse himself. He made up some story just to leave.

It was clear Antonio wanted to hold him there, but Lovino had to go. He didn't really want to, but he had to. He had to stop the lies.

"Romano, will you come back tomorrow? There is another ball."

"I... I don't know." he said honestly. He wanted to, but could he?

Lovino was forced to tear himself away from Antonio's embrace and run. He could hear Antonio calling after him, but he didn't dare to look back. He wasn't even sure which direction and found himself in a sea of thorns from rose bushes that surrounded the palace like a thick wall. Tears formed in his eyes as he fought his way through. Well out, he hurried away from the palace onto the now abandoned streets and he didn't stop until he was in the safe confines of the trattoria. He quickly discarded the shredded clothes and the shoes, that did seem to be undamaged, hid them safely where he knew neither his brother or their grandfather would look and went to bed.

He wished he could forget everything but three words haunted him for the rest of the night. Something Antonio had said in his struggle to get out. _"I love you"_

Downstairs, the clock chimed midnight.

Lovino Romano Vargas, the most idiotic fool to have ever existed.

* * *

Huge sorry to Kitty-Kat Allie for nibbling at that Lovino-enters-the-ball scene, but your description of that was so perfect I had no choice but to nibble at its elements. If you ever read this story I have no clue, but I will PM you once this is up to be a nice sport).

Also, sorry for switching perspectives so often for this story, but it has to be told from both perspectives to flow well enough. This story is kind of a tennis match between the two.

 **Guest reviews:**

 **Guest;** Updated, and sorry for the short extra wait, hope you made it back and thank you for complimenting my first Spamano scene, it was cute to write.

Secondly, I hope I can surprise you with the magazine, because I think you will like it. As for advertising other stories, I will check them as much as I can. I may not be able to check every word, but mostly, I have my own set of rules regarding fanfics to keep age ratings down, so yes, I will double check.

As for naming and shaming, I keep a high lever of positivity in what I do. If you want to bash out on others, this will not be the right forum for you to do so. In fact, the first edition is about feeling good, so I hope you will read. I will tell you when it is up and you can follow the countdown on its instagrsm: Ficreviews


	4. Chapter 4

This is one LONG chapter. I should probably have split it in two, but oh well...

Thank you for following this short story and yes, I will get started on Listen to Your Heart Again, I promise!

 **Chapter 4**

Morning rose, accompanied by the usual hustle as the market place opened and people slowly woke from the second day of festivities. This time, the entire town was buzzing with the news that prince Antonio had found his bride. Unlike the previous mornings there was a sense of scandal ringing through the air. Young girls sat outside their respective doors crying their eyes red and puffy. The hopeful bachelors took the news a little better, but even they were more surly and less cheerful. A handful of upset mothers and fathers ran around knocking doors with bad recreations of the face of the beautiful young man who, according to rumours, had charmed the prince to ignore his duties. Rumours spread that a wedding was surely to come now that Prince Antonio had found his love at last.

But there were still some who remained hopeful. As rumours spread, the mysterious young man had disappeared before the prince could ask for his hand, thus the door was still ajar to sneak in your sons and daughters to steal away his attention.

This caused a new wave of determination as the crying girls and surly boys were dragged of their feet, stuffed into carriages that would take them to the best hairdressers and dressmakers. Their frustrated screams could be heard all the way to the trattoria, where Lovino lay wide eyed under his blanket. Feli was in a good mood this morning and had broken the news to him that things had gone beyond what he would have hoped for. Ludwig, the commander and prince of Westfalen had agreed to bring Feli to his kingdom to become a royal painter. Feli had returned home with a smile to rival that of any saint and a handful of gold coins that they had split between each other. In an evening all their problems seemed to have vanished in an instant. Even a handful of gold would be more than enough for Lovi to find a new life while his brother would live in luxury in the North.

Of course, Feli had wanted him to come with him, but Lovi couldn't stand the idea of the cold that would await him there and he knew he would be a nuisance to his brother's talent. He had openly refused, much to his brother's disappointed expression.

Things should have been so easy by now, after all, he had done it. It was obvious, based on the coins now resting in his coin pouch, that Feli would never have to worry again, and neither should Lovi. But that evening Lovi had cried himself to sleep and once sleep finally hit he was haunted by the sound of music, the sway of dance and a pair of emeralds that had their eyes for no one but himself. He woke up as his brother shook him awake to tell him the news.

For the last couple of years all Lovino had dreamt of was to escape this life, but now he didn't know what he wanted anymore. The idea of leaving town and leaving Antonio was heart-wrenching. It was such a stupid thing, but in just a few days he felt as if there was something he wanted more than his freedom.

Maybe it was because he had seen kindness for the first time that wasn't by the hand of his brother. Maybe it was the way Antonio had held him and almost whispered love to his very soul. Lovino wasn't sure what it was that became such a pulling force to return back to the castle, but it refused to go away. As the hours dragged on, it grew and grew.

He had to tell himself over and over again that it was foolish to dream of such things, or even to cling to the memories of their brief visits. The rational side of him cursed the fact that he had even gone back to the castle, but the empty hole in his heart wished no more than to return.

Antonio had asked of him to return, but it was a foolish thought really. His clothes had been shredded during the escape. Sure he still kept the shoes, but what good would they do without the outfit.

He might have been able to borrow the one he made for Feli, but Feli would be going back again this evening. Without clothes he knew Antonio would only see the poor peasant boy again.

What good would that make?

Lovi sighed as he got out of his makeshift bed, went down the stairs and walked outside to scrub the dirt from their grandfather's boots.

He didn't like it, but his only hope now lay on that strange bird that kept showing up.

000

At the castle Francis walked back and forth while his pet bird Pierre snoozed on top of a satin pillow. He had just been to see his dear friend Antonio, only to find him in the most unbelievable state. The Crown Prince, brave and handsome but a hopeless romantic as it turned out, had apparently spent all morning since the ball with the castle's librarian, looming through every possible prince, duke or count who could possibly match up to the mysterious young man he kept mentioning. Now, Francis had obviously missed this grand entrance, as he had been too busy in other parts of the castle, but he had heard the stories from the chamber maids upon his return.

Antonio had been a mess since the ball. He was obsessed with discovering the identity of the young man who had obviously stolen his heart. The young prince claimed he was certain their mysterious guest had to be of noble blood, but as hours went on his frustration grew as there were no results. None of the houses within the borders or neighbouring nations matched the mysterious man.

Francis had offered to assist, but gave up within a matter of minutes. It was a task that seemed impossible and he hid within the confines of his chambers, more content in choosing an outfit for the evenings ball than burying himself in meaningless searches.

He had a hunch, as he threw an old tunic of woven silver, that the beauty would turn up again and he wanted to be ready for it. He needed to look his best if such eye catching people would turn up. He wasn't known for being among the best dressed nobles for no reason.

From his pillow Pierre opened his sleepy eyes and stared down at the pile of silver, that was slowly buried in piles of other old and half forgotten outfits.

Yes, his master's wardrobe was huge.

000

Evening once more crept up upon the sizzling town. Carriage after carriage, each one decorated by a sea of flowers, satin and ribbons, left for the castle. The dressed were even more lavish, the hats bigger and bolder and the hairs could lift a roof. Lovino watched them all leave and he honestly felt bad for Prince Antonio, who would have to stare at that all evening.

Lovino was slightly hopeful as he waited by his mother's tree. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn't help it. If fate wanted it, he knew it would give him what he needed to see Antonio again. He held the golden shoes in his hand and gazed hopefully up at the branches.

The sun slowly set and a stone dropped into his stomach from worry. He was late, where could he have flown off to?

As the minutes ticked by, Lovino was about to give up hope when all of a sudden he heard a thud.

It was almost humorous to see the bird try to detangle itself from the wraps of silver, but in the end it seemed to have worked. It didn't look too amused to have made a hard landing, but Lovino gave it a piece of bread and as he changed, it flew away, probably to never return again, or so he wanted to believe.

How else would he be able to explain all of this to Feli? But he needed to live the dream once more.

The outfit he brought was even more extravagant than the last. This time it was a velvet jacket, with a thin cape that hung over his right shoulder, matching silver pants and yet another white, silk shirt. Once dressed Lovino ran, not caring who saw him, but he had to see Antonio.

He just had to.

He raised several eyebrows as he entered the large castle doors and many heads turned as he walked in and slowed his pace. Many of the young girls raised their fans and whispered. Lovi had no clue what they said, the music from the ballroom was too loud.

A cavalier walked over to escort him to the room. Lovi had never felt this self conscious as he entered the room and all activity stopped. The music silenced, the orchestra forgetting to play, the dancing couples stopped mid step, the King upon his throne stood straight to have a good look.

At the middle of the dance floor Antonio halted his movements to simply gaze at Lovino with wonder. Lovi stared back and gave a small smile. Antonio was still as dashing as ever, with his green eyes mirroring emotions that were so similar to his own. The young prine turned, excused himself from the pink bonetted girl he was dancing with, and hurried over to Lovi's side. The cavalier left in a hurry as Antonio soon stood in front of Lovi, raised Lovi¨s hand to his mouth and kissed it.

"You came." was the only answer Lovi got from the stunned prince. Lovi nodded. Once more, he couldn't find the answers within him. Why did he come back? Was he really that weak? Had he lost himself to dreams? He didn't know.

Prince Antonio looked as stunning as ever and Lovi felt himself lost for words. He was also becoming more self conscious to all the stares they received. From the corner of his eyes he saw a man in blue with blond wavy hair walk over to nudge at the conductor to keep the music up. In a few seconds the music picked up again and some of the guests went back to the dancing.

Prince Antonio gave a heart throbbing smile and lead him towards the middle of the floor. Lovino didn't say anything, lost for words. His heart was hammering and he felt like he should say something. He just couldn't form the words.

He wanted this night to go on forever, he never wanted it to stop.

000

Francis had not been expecting much from this final evening ball. He had hoped to see the beauty that had caught his friend's attention and when he finally did he had to be honest, his friend had fine taste. Not excellent as his own, oh no, he wasn't known for being the most charming of them all for nothing. But this young man surely held himself well. His posture was great, he looked young and unusually untouched for someone with those looks and grace. Yes, he was oddly graceful on the floor led by Antonio on every move. Then again, Antonio was a really good dancer, it could have been that.

Normally he would have walked right into the middle of the scene to pry and poke, but the general scene in front of him looked slightly off. It was as if something clouded the beauty within it, threatening to crash into itself. Something about it seemed very off, like a bad copy of a painting. Francis shook his head. He felt like he should warn his friend before he had his heart broken by this stranger.

The music ended and switched from the traditional waltz to a polka. It wasn't one of Francis favourites, too upbeat and silly, but Antonio's father enjoyed the silliness of it and seemed quite content with how everything went on. Some of the guests seemed to enjoy the change of pace, but in the middle of this he saw his friend and the stranger exit the room.

Perhaps he should have followed them, to find out more about this story,

Sadly, he never got the chance to as a flicker of something forest green walked by him, topped by a mop of sandy blond hair.

And eyebrows that surely needed some humorous attention.

000

The music was still pretty loud, but at least outside the castle and its large ballroom it became easier to think clearly. The air was fresh and cold. Thankfully, Antonio's hands were warm.

They had found a secluded spot, close to the private tomato garden, that overlooked a large pond filled with exotic fish and decorated with red carnations. It smelled heavenly and Lovino would have been quite happy to have stayed like this for the rest of the evening.

It even felt more beautiful that the prince had been whispering non-stop praise since the left the dance. His lips were close to Lovino's ear, it was a tune that would be simple to drown yourself in.

"Romano, I wish we could stay like this forever."

"So do I."

"I fear to loose you again. This morning, it was terrible. I thought I might have dreamt the entire time."

Lovino smiled. "Me too." he said simply.

He turned his head slightly to gaze into Antonio's eyes and forge that into his memories. He didn't want Antonio to know who he truly was, their worlds once restored were too different. Even the little gold he had would never meassure to anything that existed within this castle. Not to mention, he was doing nothing but lying. No, Antonio deserved better one day. He was so charming, he would find someone like that and...

All other thoughts were immediately washed away as Antonio had leant forward and locked his lips to his. Lovino sighed deeply into the kiss and made no attempts to ever break it.

He wished that he had been born a duke, or someone who could offer something back, but for a meaningless being as himself, what could he offer the country, It was a task too great for anyone to bear.

He loved Antonio,

But that was also why he couldn't go on like this. He needed to let Antonio go, to find something real. He was no better than those peacocks in the ballroom, with their large hats and painted faces.

A tear silently trickled down and Antonio backed, shock and surprise written over his face.

"Romano, what?"

"I'm sorry." was all Lovino had the energy to say. Familiar tones rang over the courtyard as the large clock chimed midnight. Lovino quickly made a run for it. He could hear Antonio follow him, but Lovino was faster. Antonio didn't even catch up to as Lovino tripped and fell, loosing one of the beautiful golden shoes in the process, but he had no time to go back to pick it up. Instead, he darted out the same way he had left the night before. The beautiful clothes were once more shredded by the bushes around the castle and with it the dream ended.

When he stepped out on the deserted road he was once more that poor tratoria boy with a future as bleak as ever.

It was time to wake up.

000

A strange rumour spread over the town the following days. Rumours said that the strange beautiful boy had left in a hurry, dropping his shoe in the process. Another rumour said that prince Antonio was in bed, healing from the bruises he received as he tumbled over his lost love and lost him. The most exciting rumour was still that the unknown boy was yet to be found and the prince would soon announce who his bride would be.

Lovino didn't care about any of that. It had been a couple of mournful days as he helped Feliciano back his belongings, mainly art supplies and loaded it onto a wagon. As a parting gift, knowing it would take ages before they'd be able to see each other again, Feliciano had given him all the gold, explaining that he would have more than enough once he sold his first painting. Lovino had been reluctant at first, but had to surrender since Feliciano was right. Feli would dig gold and Lovi was barely able to scrape together a decent living.

But what to do. Could he really leave his grandfather behind?

The answer came that very evening after Feli had left and Lovi was kicking pots and pans around in sheer loss for actions. He didn't know what to do with himself.

He made such a fuss his grandfather couldn't sleep, so the old man sat down on a rickety stool.

"Lovino Romano Vargas, what's wrong? You never act this way unless something is terribly wrong. Is it about Feli?"

The old man yawned, it was late after all. Lovino knew, but he couldn't help it.

How was he supporsed to explain all that was going through him? It was pretty much impossible to say: "I've fallen in love with the prince and I hate myself for it".

"Do you want to leave?"

Flee... Lovino liked the sound of that. He wanted to leave, he was tired of all of the confusion, shame and the constant ache that he had lost probably the two most important people around him.

He nodded.

His grandfather aighed.

"Then go. Honestly, I am surprised you are still here."

Lovino blinked.

"Go, find your place in the world. There is no reason to remain back here. Don't worry about me, I'll survive somehow. I did long before I met your grandmother and I have let her down. Maybe it is time I sober up as well and..."

He never got to finish his sentence before Lovino hugged him, stinking wine or not. He couldn't believe what his grandfather had told him and he knew he would have to act quickly before he changed his mind. He rushed upstairs, gathered the few belongings he had, the gold Feli had given him and of course, the napkin Antonio had given to him.

He was almost by the stairs when he realised he had forgotten the shoe, the one thing to prove that everything had not been dream. Quickly, he threw it down with the rest, tied everything inside a dirty blanket and rushed down.

He hadn't felt this alive since that first night at the castle... okay, maybe it wasn't ages ago, but still. The whole world was open.

He didn't care if it was in the middle of the night. He said his goodbyes to his grandfather, promised to write to the old man to make sure he took care of himself (he had his doubts) and hurried out on the open road. He sprinted and paid little attention to where he was going. Before he knew it a white wagon near collided with him, had the horses not noticed him in time and panicked.

Lovino fell and with it his bundle unravelled. The golden coins spread over the streets and he hurriedly scrambled to collect them. As he crawled around hooves and the wheels of the wagon the owner walked out, most likely furious to have been stopped so abruptly. When Lovino didn't hear anything he went on with his work until the last coins were gathered. When he stood up he was met with a tall blond man with curly shoulder length hair holding his shoe. This man was obviously a noble, oh no.

"Is this yours?"

Lovino nodded, then he realised that the noble probably wouldn't have seen his action so he squealed "yes".

"Interesting, and your name?"

"Lo... Lovino."

"Where did you acquire this? It's oddly refined for someone... who is scrambling for coins on the streets."

"I have gold." it wasn't a total lie, he had gold. He just hadn't paid for those shoes, but how would the noble be able to prove otherwise.

"Really?"

"Yes, my brother. My brother is a royal painter for Westfalen, he gave me some to get by."

There was an amused shuckle. "And you use them for a shoe, very interesting. Does it have a partner?"

"Eh... yes, but I dropped it the other day."

"Really?"

There was a pause.

"My name is Francis Bonnefoy and I am a close friend to Prince Antonio. For the last couple of days my dear friend has been heartbroken because he lost the owner to a shoe very similar to this one."

"I..."

"Lovino, would you mind coming back to the castle with me?"

"What, yes... YES. I would mind, I would mind very much? I cannot..." he couldn't finish his sentence. Why, why did this have to happen?

"Is it your clothes, don't worry, I have some spare with me that you could borrow."

"It's not... it's not..."

There was an even longer pause, then Francis laughed heartily. It seemed to linger forever making Lovino quite annoyed with the man. He figured he should make a run for it yet again, fate obviously tried to make fun of him.

"Oh, this is precious." Francis said. "Antonio sure has an interesting taste. Lovino, right now the man you left is up in his room in the castle crying his eyes out, refusing every proposal and even idea of proposal because he is truly heartbroken.

Lovino blinked. Did he really manage to impact the prince in such a short time? How crazy was this man really? Obviously more crazy than himself... okay, maybe not.

"Come, let us get you changed and then we go back and explain everything."

000

It was a strange thing for Lovino to enter the castle through the gates once more and even more so to be greeted as someone normal. People didn't seem to look at him like the stunning prince charming he had pretended to be during the ball, neither did they sneer at him like the peasant he truly was. In fact, it went oddly smoothly to get from one place to another, then again he was accompanied by Francis throughout the entire journey.

Prince Antonio's bedroom was situated in the right wing of the castle. It was smaller than the royal chambers of the king, but less drafty as Francis put it. Lovino followed along, clutching his shoe in one hand. Francis had given it back, on the premises that he would explain everything to the prince so that they could finally lay all this mess aside.

As they got closer to the bedroom itself Lovino was puzzled to hear a loud wail from the end of the long corridor they were walking through. Francis pointed him towards two large doors at the end and Lovino sprinted over. The wails got louder the closer he got.

Slowly, he opened them to see the most depressing sight.

Prince Antonio lay in his bed, dressed in his nightshirt, eyes red from tears. He was clutching the golden shoe Lovino had accidentally dropped and it was quite obvious why he seemed upset. A chambermaid offered to take the shoe away and Antonio outright pushed her away.

It ticked Lovino off. Prince or not, have manners.

"Oi, bastard!"

Antonio looked up, stunned to see him, obviously. Then he swung his legs to the side of his bed and rushed over, mouth agape in shock.

"Ro... Romano?"

Lovino wanted to mentally kick his own stupidity, why did he have to give him his middle name like that.

"No, it's Lovino to you. Pull yourself together and apologise to her." he ordered.

Antonio stared, seemingly afraid to blink because he barely did. Then he turned to the chambermaid, muttered some quick apologies. The maid smiled at Lovino, who smiled back at her. She made a small curtsy and left the room together with the remaining staff, leaving the two of them alone.

Antonio stared at him still and his mouth seemed to try to make words, but no sounds came. Finally, Lovino broke the silence.

"Francis told me, what you had become."

He took a deep breath.

"Seriously, are you that pathetic? It was a dream Antonio, I am not the one you think I am."

It was now or never.

"I am Lovino, simply Lovino, an idiot who chased his hat to your garden on the first night. The same idiot you freely gave a tomato too and the idiot who dared to dream beyond what I am."

His breath shuddered.

"I am nothing, literally nothing. I have nothing to give, nothing to gain. I looked after my brother for years only to become the one who needed to be supported. I'm a coward and by far no prince or duke or count. I was a fool to lead you on, I can see now what that did to you. I am sorry. I came, I came to set you free. I was, I was recently set free myself. I hope we can both shape better futures."

"Together..."

Lovino blinked.

"Pardon?"

Lovino could feel the rage within him boiling, here he was doing his best to let everyone have their happily ever afters, but this prince was far more idiotic than he seemed.

"Marry me..."

Now it was Lovino's turn to stare. Did he just...

"Marry me. Lovino, Romano, or whatever you call yourself, please, marry me."

000

"HECK NO!"

 _ **slap**_

Francis was standing with his ears by the door when he heard the most amusing sound. This young boy, who he had guessed to be the brother Feliciano had mentioned on several occasions, had quite the temperament. It was odd, but he could proudly call himself quite the matchmaker after this.

"Please, Lovino, I love you and..."

"I-I can't. What would, what would everyone think? You're the prince and I..."

"You're perfect."

There was yet another amusing sound which sounded very much like someone stumbling upon their own feet. Then there was silence for a while.

Francis silently opened the door ajar to see the most amusing sight. It seemed like Lovino had fallen over. Antonio had made a move to catch him and somehow it had made them both fall to the floor. Now the two of them were locked up into a kiss that made Francis smile and Lovino squeal. He dashed to his feet and out the door, cheeks red like cherries from embarrassment.

Francis closed the door behind him, Antonio could wait, Francis had work to do.

"Lovino, it is quite late. I can ask the chambermaids to prepare a room for you for the evening. Just this night."

"Just for tonight, I guess, but are you sure? I don't want to intrude, nor him." But Francis could see that Lovino looked more worried about Antonio's health than he led on

"Don't worry. And I won't tell Antonio."

Lovino nodded and followed Francis down a few more corridors.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning. I don't think..."

"Of course."Francis said with one of his usual charming smiles.

Because he knew, that Lovino would not leave in the morning.

Or the next,

Or at all...

Because the next day Lovino returned to shout a few more curses and insults at the prince for being an utmost crybaby in front of the staff and only Lovino's presence seemed to soothe him. He stayed the next night as well, since he concluded that someone obviously had to teach the _bastard_ a lesson of responsibility and endlessly seemed to curse upon himself for even having considered falling for someone so selfish.

As days turned to weeks, Lovino spoke less and less about leaving and more and more about how to get Antonio back in shape to run the kingdom. He would be seen entering the prince's room at dawn and no come out until late at night, when the prince finally fell asleep beside the man he loved. Lovino was also the only person who could coax Antonio to leave his chambers, even if it usually resulted in short walks.

Days became weeks, which turned into months and it wasn't too uncommon to see the prince and his love stroll towards the tomato garden for their daily tomatoes, often hand in hand.

It still took another year for Lovino to finally agree to marry the prince and yet another for the kingdom to prepare for the marriage itself. I could probably go on and on about rheir strange but wonderous adventures, but in short:

 _The lived happily ever after._

000

PS: Pierre the bird eventually received title that was fancier than Francis' own, by none other than Lovino Vargas Carriedo. _Royal marriage counselor._ Who could argue that the initial perpetrator for their coming together was none other than his scheme of flying away with Lovino's old hat. Francis never forgave his bird friend for stealing a title he thought he worked for the longest, but as it turns out his friend worked more.

* * *

 **Trivia and interesting facts:**

 **The Cinderella adaptions and inspirations:** There are countless of versions of Cinderella, all with their twists and turns. As a young child, I grew up with the slightly more unedited Grimm version with the stepsisters cutting of their heels and toes to fit the shoe. To honour the original, I gave Lovino a golden shoe instead of a glass (which honestly makes no functional sense).

Another inspiration for this version is a European movie version (cannot remember if it was French or German because I've seen so many) where Cinderella doesn't attend the ball the first night, she watches it by magic. Kind of like Lovino watched the ball through the bushes. From one of those many movies, (French), I added the ridiculous outfits and hats for the girls and boys who attended the ball. There was an amusing scene in the movie where the attendees of the ball were made fun of to resemble different birds and that scene stuck with me. It also worked well, since I didn't want to add stepsisters or stepmothers into this story, so the whole town became a nasty pit. I am sure though, once all the tears dry and the parents will have to accept who Antonio loves in the end, they will eventually get over it.

But the one single perpetrator for this story is still Kitty-Kat Allie, with her Hetalia Fairy Tales, which I still urge you all to read, because they are all brilliant adaptations, and I am still amazed you fir that story into a single chapter. I needed four.

 **True love:** I debated constantly on whether I'd have them fall in love at once or just be overly attracted to each other, and I kind of settled somewhere in the middle. The story fo love here is kind of based on the story my mother told me when she met my dad, and originally she wasn't overly impressed and as she told me, hoped my dad would loose interest in her, but after a few days they became an official couple. My dad was like that, once he set a goal he saw it through to the end.

I know this story makes it seem like Lovi and Toni fall in love after a day, but in reality neither of them really knows true love very well. I am sure, if there would ever be a follow up for this story, that there would be tons of disagreements, weird and awkward moments, not to mention times when Lovi will be more than ready to walk out of everything, but hey... I wanted to write something nice, not nasty, so I'll leave that to you to imagine.

 **Pierre:** Yes, Pierre stole all those outfits from Francis and gave to Lovino. Francis hardly remembers what he owns and buy new things constantly, but he rarely replaces anything. He has, without a doubt, the biggest wardrobe among all of the people within the kingdom.

Now, I don't think Pierre has any notion of what romance or balls are, but he likes to steal things and fly around with them. He has dropped Francis' clothes off in random places, usually to be picked up by an unsuspecting beggar or traveller. He does return to Lovino, because Lovino notices him and chased him when he stole Lovino's hat.

000

I kind of realised that I could have gone on with several more chapters for this story, but decided to be quite anti-climatic (for being me) and simply end it on a more simpler note. I actually considered letting Lovino run off for a year and then come back, but that would have dragged on and on and I have more things to work on. Not to mention, I recently had another brainstorm of a Yuri! on Ice fanfic that won't leave my head (le sigh).

Between writing the story details for that one, finishing Listen to your heart and working on FicReviews, I won't have an agenda to do more.

So for now.

Thank you for reading guys, see you next instalment!

PS: And please do check out my upcoming magazine, which launches on Thuesday.


End file.
